Digimon Diary: Friendship Side
by S.Walden
Summary: <html><head></head>A retelling of Adventure through Yamato's eyes that explores a few things the show may have missed... and gives you some more insight into the character, per my usual headcanon. Also references the PSP game. Yaoi in later chapters. *EPISODE 2 UP*</html>
1. Prologue

Digimon Diary: Friendship Side

A/N: This is a companion piece meant to be read alongside Angel-Weasel Woman's "Digimon Diary: Reliable Side" and follows our headcanon, but can be read without following either. This fanfiction will draw from the anime (dub and sub), the Digimon Memorial Albums, the first two volumes of the official novelization, and possibly some events from the PSP game "Digimon Adventure". This version is a retelling of Digimon Adventure from Yamato's point of view. This fiction does assume you have seen the entirety of season one / Adventure and possibly Our War Game. Perhaps one day, I'll make a few bonus chapters to cover Zero Two as well, since the "present" takes place after the epilogue.

I am also struggling with how to incooperate episodes like 4, which have some relevant scenes but nothing signifigant... it mostly ends up being summary. So there may be a delay after that episode is posted. Any feedback/reviews are much appreciated!

Warnings: Mature subjects will be handled in this fic, but it won't be the main focus. There will be yaoi in later chapters as well. So don't read if you can't stomach them.

Pairings: Jyoumato (Yamato x Jyou), Taishirou (Taichi x Koushiro), one-sided Sorato (Sora x Yamato), and Takari (Takeru x Hikari) with **hints** of Sorami (Sora x Mimi), Mimato (Mimi x Yamato), Yamakeru (Yamato x Takeru) and of course, Taito (Taichi x Yamato). Most of the latter depends how much you wanna read into things. Please don't let any of these disuade you from reading, however! :)

**Episode 0: Family**

I had been staring over at my calendar since the early morning, with occasional glances at my bedside clock to see how many hours had passed. Finally, the time came for me to wake and leave the tiny apartment I shared with his Dad, to leave for Summer Camp. It wasn't that I didn't want to go. I just didn't want Takeru to go.

Takeru Takaishi is my little brother. He lives with our mother, Natsuko Takaishi, in Sanjaya, across the bay from where I live with our father, Hiroaki Ishida. Our parents divorced about three years ago. I won't go into the details, but it ended with us choosing who we wanted to go with. Takeru was only four, so he was still pretty latched onto Mom. You'll understand eventually, but I went with my father and it's been a tossing ship at sea since then.

Don't get my wrong, I love living with my Dad. He's a great guy- when he's around, since his job at the TV Station keeps him busy most of the time. I'm pretty independent, unlike Takeru, so this works well for me. I'll sit around and play games, practice my harmonica, or tinker with the broken things around the house. Luckily, my Dad is a pretty handy guy and passed down his knowledge to me. So if you have a broken sink or something, I'm the guy. I actually can't wait for a car, so I can take it apart, too.

But I'm getting really way off track. I didn't want Takeru to go, because he would end up ruining my Summer vacation- that short time between July twenty-first and August thirty-first that I could just lounge around and not have to worry about _grades_.

Dad was home this particular morning, but he would soon be leaving for work, so _I_ had to go to my mother's to pick up Takeru. This wasn't easy. In the past three years for visitation, Takeru had always come here and Dad had always picked him up. Effectively, I hadn't spoken to my mother in three years. When my little brother was around, he was usually annoying me, breaking my things- like my v-pet. I spent how many allowances saving up for that thing? Whatever.

"Yamato, I'm sorry I can't go this time," Dad said from the small section of dining table he had cleared away and claimed as his "work desk". My father had this look, where he always seemed tired or worn down. The way his bangs frayed to one side and his clothes never stayed straight. Still, he was a lot more optimistic than I was and he said I was more like my Mom in this regard. In fact, Mom had just recently started seeing a psychiatrist after my Dad spent two years trying to convince her. For depression. I felt like it was my fault, but I wasn't going to let myself feel guilt over her.

"Whatever, it's fine," I replied. "I won't be there long anyway, since we're all meeting up at the school by nine."

"...I know how you feel," my Dad told me, trying to make his own guilt go away. He walked over to where I was slipping on my brown boots by the door and squeezed my shoulder. I glanced up at that worn face for a moment before turning away, making some kind of awkward noise in the wake of whatever he was going to say next. "Just promise me that you'll take care of Takeru. He looks up to you, depends on you. Protect him, please."

"I'm not going to just throw him to the wolves, Dad," I chuckled, but he was squeezing my shoulder tighter. If there was one thing we had in common, because really, physically and emotionally, we were nothing alike, it was that we both loved Takeru and would take bullets for him. Unfortunetly, we also weren't very good at being human shields, either. "I'll take care of him."

"Thank you," he told me and finally let me out of the house. I almost turned to lock the door behind me instinctively, but Dad would take care of it. I put my keys back in my pocket alongside my wallet and my harmonica.

I had to hop the subway to the harbor, catch the waterbus across, and then it would be a brisk walk to the apartment complex my Mom lived in, which was like an entire 'nother world compared to the all male, two person shithole building Dad and I stayed in. It wasn't just nicer, but larger, and something about the place always made me feel intimidated. I guess because I felt like I didn't deserve it. At the time, I couldn't tell you why, but now...

I never visited Mom, even on special occasions. When I arrived, she didn't hesitate to remind me. When I first got there and gave a knock on the door, I noticed the dead roses in the flowerbox near the door- something she had always tended to dearly. "You don't even visit for the holidays..." she whispered, looking back behind her to see if Takeru was on his way, then turning back to me. I couldn't look her in the eyes, so I stared into the decay and the remains that were brown-black thorns and vines in dry, gray soil. "If you won't do it for me... do it for Takeru."

I shrugged. There was no way in Hell I would be here in the first place if it wasn't for him, but I wasn't going to even consider staying. I wasn't even sure _Dad_ would let me.

"Yamato," she insisted. I finally gave her a quick glance, noting one hand holding the other near her chest tenderly. I couldn't tell you what she was wearing, but I saw that her cheekbones were showing, enlightened by the dark circles under her eyes. Eyes I couldn't look into, because they reminded me too much of myself.

Finally, Takeru had hauled himself to the door like a rattling truck carrying junk, toting a backpack full of un-necessities. He was wearing this silly green hat that had a blue plastic part in the center- something Dad had gotten through a promotion at work. I told him the kids would poke fun at him, but damn that kid's optimism. Kinda like Dad.

I hadn't seen the boy in a month and his bangs were growing long now. He had long sleeves and shorts on- a weird combination, but he was at that age where he wanted to express himself, so I kept my mouth shut. Besides, Mom would say if anything looked amiss. She leaned down and started to kiss Takeru on the cheek. I turned away quickly, as if it were something I shouldn't see, as if avoiding a rubbernecking a wreck on the highway.

Takeru hugged her in return, "Bye Mom! Thanks again for letting me go to camp with my big brother!"

"Sure," she said with a honest smile, "Yamato... have fun, too."

_Yeah, whatever._ I grabbed my little brother's hand and lead him down the stairs before I puked in the flowerbox.

"Aren't you excited?" Takeru said between breaths as I pulled him down flights of stairs.

I didn't reply. I was too focused on keeping my promise to Dad. To protect Takeru. Protect my little brother. I could get a head start by getting him as far away from this place as possible.


	2. Episode 1

Digimon Diary: Friendship Side

A/N: Please see "Episode 0" for all warnings, pairings, and initial author's notes.

Episode 1

The Summer camp took place at Mikami Canyon, which, contrary to the name, didn't look like your typical canyon. I mean, there was one nearby, but the camp itself was in the mountains. The ride took about an hour from Odaiba Elementary. The closer we got to the site, the more of a chill ran over me. I thought at first that it was probably just the wind blowing inside from the open window, but when I stepped out from the bus, I thought, _Cold air?_

"Must be the altititude," I joked to Takeru. For someone who had begged to come along just to be with me, he wasn't giving me the time of day. See, he had to gain special permission from our teacher, Mr. Fujiyama, which meant my father and mother had to discuss and agree on the matter. Remember how I don't talk to Mom? Dad is worse.

I didn't think Takeru would be as happy as he was now, mouth open wide with excitement as he rushed around the crowd of my classmates. One of them gave me a nod and I smiled back, chasing after my little brother. When I finally joined him halfway up the hill, he still held that goofy smile, which in turn, made me smile. I had to force a straight face to keep from looking like as much of a dweeb as he did.

There would be five others that I would soon come to know as my friends that I had took notice of admist the crowd. Before I met them, I wasn't sure really what friends really were. I thought they were just the people I occasionally waved to. I didn't realize you could depend on others without getting hurt...

"Planning to go for a dive?" a redhead asked. (I would know her not only as Sora Takenouchi, but somehow, my future wife... and ex-wife.) She poked at the goggles on the male next to her- Taichi Yagami. He would be my best friend, my bro, my buddy. I remember him well because of that loud mouth of his, which he used to explain to Sora, "I don't like getting water in my eyes, especially in that murky lake."

Another boy was near them. A short, maroon-haired kid wearing a yellow dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Koushiro Izumi. He was looking around and finally looked past me to the shrine up the hill, where he headed. As he passed me, I noticed the laptop on his back. _What kind of kid brings a laptop to Summer camp?_

A giggle erupted near the buses. There was a beautiful girl totally clad in pink. She was laughing with a group of girls and even glanced over at me. I blushed and looked away until their giggling stopped. Then, I saw why.

A tall boy, probably a few years older than me, was approaching them. He seemed tense and had to readjust his glasses as he stormed over, carting a heavy first-aid bag. He shoved said bag at the girl who had smiled at me, who I would know later as Mimi Tachikawa. The other, Jyou Kido, was just another face to her as she walked off with her friends. He gave an aggravated yell and followed her.

Lost in looking around me, I didn't even notice Takeru had wandered off. I rushed up the hill after him. A shadow was cast over me as clouds rolled in. I wasn't sure, but the breeze deafened and the cold became more sunk into my skin the closer I got to the summit.

Oddly, by the time I managed to scold Takeru for wandering away, snow flurries began to fall around us. I grabbed his arm as he reached out for the frost, "I'm not going to let you spend your entire week with a cold."

"Aw, big brother," he whined as I lead us both to the shrine Koushiro had entered. "When will it EVER snow in Summer, like, ever?!"

I sighed, noting an aggravated sigh from Koushiro, who had a hand running through his bangs as he struggled with whatever computer problem he was having. He began to fiddle with some blocky thing and complained about "connecting".

"I'm sorry," I hissed to the kid, pulling Takeru over to a corner. I turned to him, "Just go play your Gameboy Color or something."

He pouted as the Sora and Mimi entered. Jyou followed as well.

"I can't believe it's freaking snowing," he grumbled, tossing the bag across the floor.

"You have wonderful legs, Sora; you should really wear a nice miniskirt, or, oh, some hip huggers!"

"I don't think so, Tachikawa," the other replied. Just as well, Sora was wearing a yellow tank, jeans, and was a hardcore soccer player alongside Taichi. Maybe she used eyeliner on occasion, but she always had this simple look about her. In fact, the two and Koushiro were the only ones who had known each other before our coming adventure, just because they all were in soccer for a physical education elective.

Mimi on the other hand, was digging through her large purse-bag, trying to find a compact mirror. She grumbled about "never being caught dead in denim" and then proceeded to adjust her long, caramel locks that cradled her face.

"Mimi, we should head back to our group. I'm in charge of you all and you'll get me in trouble hiding out up here to do God knows what. Now, will you please cover some of your responsibility and take this bag-" Jyou started.

"Hey, Koushi!" called a voice from outside. Loudmouth. "Come check this out!"

The boy packed up his laptop and slipped it over his shoulders before opening the door. Takeru took his chance and rushed past me and I rushed after him, nearly knocking Jyou over. Soon, we were all out in the snow which now had to be about an inch high, staring up at the sky.

"Aurora Borealis?" Koushiro speculated.

"It's pretty," Takeru said.

Then, the sky began to glow a weird green, almost as if a tornado would drop down from above. Instead, the light just got brighter until we could barely see at all. Then, the light split up and shot down at us in huge explosions. I cradled my body over Takeru as snow exploded around us. I could hear him breathing against my chest as things settled down.

"What in the world was that?" Sora asked.

"Look... were those meteors?" Mimi questioned, pointing to holes in the snow.

I reached down, picking up a strange clear device with blue buttons. I pressed one, bringing up some kind of clock, but not finding any other function. Takeru had one, too, and I would've taken it from him before it shot lazers out or something, but the sky glowed again and like my twister theory from earlier, sucked the seven of us up into the heavens.

* * *

><p>Blood covered my cheek. I backed up quickly against the wall and shook the tears from my eyes. I could smell gunpowder. The detective I had known well over the past few weeks scooped my five year old self into his arms and pried the metal from my hands and tossed it aside.<p>

* * *

><p>When I opened my eyes, the chill of the air was gone. In fact, humidity made my turtleneck heavy against my skin as I got the crick out of my neck. I felt a heaviness on my chest and glanced over. There was a strange animal with orange fur, a charcoal colored horn, and bright, red eyes. He had my harmonica in his mouth sideways and attempted to use it, resulting in a mixture of whistles and notes.<p>

"Give that back, you... whatever," I remarked, sitting up. The creature tumbled back near my feet, dropping the harmonica in the process. I snapped it up and helped the monster upright.

"Yamato!" it cried, doing a backflip.

"Hey, how do you know who I am?" I whispered. "...and what are you?"

"I've been waiting for you," it said, hopping around me with a smile.

"...well, uh, sorry to keep you waiting then," I admitted as it circled back around me. "So... where am I? This definetly isn't camp."

"This is the Digital World and I'm a Digital Monster," it told me.

"...what?" I wondered. _I bet this is that Koushiro kid's fault. He probably opened some kind of gateway by bringing that laptop to Summer camp. Camp! _

"My name is Tsunomon."

"Nice to meet you," I breathed, standing. "Shit, where is Takeru?"

"Eh? What's a Takeru?" the creature asked me, hopping behind as I searched frantically through the tropical leaves and trunks.

"My little brother. I have to find him," I demanded, bundling my fists.

"...brother?"

"My brother," I hissed. "Don't you Digi-whatevers know what family is?"

"...no, not at all," Tsunomon admitted. "However, Yamato..."

"What?" I snapped, running my hands through my hair.

"I'm here to help you," he said. "So, if you need to find your 'brother', I'll help. What does he look like? Is he human, like you?"

"I'm surprised you know what a human even is," I muttered, pushing through to a clearing. Another monster darted across me. White, fat, with little ears flowing behind him. "He looks kinda like me, but you know, smaller."

Tsunomon probably nodded, although I couldn't tell since he was hopping. "Hey, that's a Tokomon!" he said. When he opened his mouth, I noticed a row of sharp teeth. Between that and a horn, I had to wonder what he was built so defensively for.

"Wait!" cried a familiar voice. A rustling echoed from my right.

"Takeru!" I called. The rustling stopped.

"Big brother?" he called back.

"Takeru!" I said, stepping out into the clearing completely. My brother stood at the far side and the white monster was on the opposite edge. Tsunomon hopped across my feet.

"So you're a Takeru!" Tsunomon smiled. "We were looking for you!"

"Oh, cool, you have one, too! Isn't this the best thing ever? It's like a video game!" Takeru said happily. "Oh, right. You're 'it', Tokomon! So you better get running!" The blonde haired boy took off after his monster and I grabbed Tsunomon, tucking him under my arm, then darted after them.

When I came to another opening in the forest, I saw Taichi, Sora, and Koushiro. They all had monsters too: Koromon, Pyocomon, and Motimon, respectively. They all varied in shades of pink, but shared the same pep as my little guy.

"I'm Tsunomon!" the monster cried from under my arm. "Nice to meet you."

"So, anyone know what the heck's going on, yet?" I asked.

"I just saw the biggest beetle ever, dude," Taichi told me. "Seriously, it's like a flying bus."

Well, that answered my question about why Tsunomon was built like a mini-tank. "Are we the only ones?" Sora wondered.

Takeru glanced beyond me. I still get giggles thinking of Jyou's shrieking to this day as he tore through the brush, trying to escape his Digimon: Bukamon. The monster floated to Jyou's shoulder and he glanced at the rest of us like we were all figments of his imagination, too. On the other hand, we probably looked unusually calm and accepting of the situation.

I couldn't speak for the others, but anything was better than being stuck at home or at a boring Summer camp with my little brother for an entire week. They were probably all still in shock, but I was more concerned with why it was just us. Then, I thought back to who all had been there when the "meteors" had dropped. We were missing Miss Texas. "Hey, where's that girl?" I asked.

"Nevermind that, what are these things?!" Jyou shrieked.

"We're Digimon: Digital Monsters!" they cried.

"Mimi," Sora corrected me from earlier. "Mimi is missing."

"She's in my grade," Koushiro noted, "But I haven't seen her, to answer your question."

"Somebody help!" cried a voice from the forest. It sounded human enough, so it had to be Mimi. We all rushed towards the sound of her voice. Suddenly, she appeared from behind a tree, screaming as a little green plant Digimon chased her.

"It's okay!" Taichi tried to persuade her, but then, I knew that Taichi had not been exaggerating when he said 'big as a bus'. A giant, red beetle thing began mowing down the forest and after running around like chickens with no heads, we cornered ourselves onto a cliff. Taichi glanced over the edge, noting nothing but a huge river, when bug-face returned to mow him down, too.

The beetle let out a huge roar. I could feel Takeru's hands shaking as he held unto me. The giant creature barely missed Taichi's wreckless ass, only because Koromon rushed in to defend him. I wondered if that was what it meant to be a Digimon, but then, didn't this Kuwaga-guy have a human of his own or something?

Koromon's bravery was infectious to the others and before I knew it Tsunomon was leaping through the air to defend me. I wasn't sure what to think or feel. I had been here five seconds, but already this little guy was throwing his life away for me. "Tsunomon!" I cried as the beetle lost it's footing (winging?) and crashed into the jungle we had emerged from. I wondered for a moment if they had actually done it, but then saw Tsunomon on the ground, unmoving. Takeru had already rushed over to his monster and the tears in his eyes made me hold my breath. I rushed over and scooped Tsunomon into my arms. His fur was bunched up and I could see a scuff in his horn. He moved a little against me and I felt relief that he was still alive. "Don't defend me," I whispered. "I don't need you to."

He winced and I could see a tiny bruise near his cheek-side.

Suddenly, Kuwagamon was back. I wasn't going to let Tsunomon get more injured at this point, but he wriggled out of my grip like the others and they were battling again. A flurry of bubbles, bug screeches, and blurs played out in front of us. I was sure as I glanced at the others- they all felt as helpless as me.

"Yamato, will they be okay?" Takeru whispered, looking up at me.

"I'm not sure, but for our sake, they better fry this guy," I whispered.

When our Digimon closed in on Kuwagamon, the sky began to act strange and those devices we had received before glowed like Christmas lights. A rainbow of colors enveloped our Digimon and before we knew it they had changed form.

Tsunomon had turned into Gabumon, a yellow lizard-like thing with a wolf pelt. He had carried over his horn from his previous incarnation. They were definetly stronger. Before, the bubbles were nothing more than a taunt, but now, they all had unique attacks that began to scratch the surface of Kuwagamon's exoskeleton. A fire erupted across the bug's chest and he fell back, flattening most of the forest. What was left concealed what I hoped would be his grave.

Gabumon rushed back to me, a smile on his face. "Yamato, you helped me evolve!" he said, throwing his arms around me. His fur was soft and his skin smooth. His nose was wet against my cheek as he nuzzled into me. From that moment on, I had a friend. Not just some guy I could hang out with on occasion, but someone who would die for me, like I would die for my brother. He was more than friend, Gabumon was family to me. That simple act had won my heart over, since things like that were so few in my life. Takeru wiped tears from his eyes and smiled at me. I could tell he felt the same.

Then, Kuwagamon rose like a zombie and surprised all of us by throwing his pincers into the ground, cutting the end of the cliff and forcing us all tumbling downward.

"Takeru!" I cried.

"Don't worry, Yamato," Jyou told me, falling a few feet away. He was nodding at Gomamon, who seemed to have a plan for our rescue.


	3. Episode 2

Digimon Diary: Friendship Side

A/N: Please see "Episode 0" for all warnings, pairings, and initial author's notes.

Episode 2

"Marching fishes!"

The flying Digimon, which included Takeru's newly formed Patamon, tried to save their respective human, but failed. I contemplated whether or not we would survive the fall or what would happen if only some of us survived. I wondered further, if this was a dream, would I wake up?

Then I landed on a bed of fish. "Woah," I whispered.

"See, told you I had it covered," Gomamon was telling Jyou.

"Where exactly are we going?" I wondered, and then we were all set ashore. Kuwagamon had fallen from the cliff alongside us, but it seemed his lives were finally numbered. I looked Takeru over, which Patamon watched curiously. Gabumon sat tight, almost as if waiting for orders, but then I realized, he was being vigilant. We weren't out of danger yet, if ever.

"I'm fine," my little brother whined, using both hands to bat me away.

"Alright," I replied, backing off for a moment. The others all seemed okay, too.

"Those are my friends, the fish!" Gomamon smiled, his tail wagging. "I can call on them if I ever need any help."

"Shoo Shoobeedoo," Mimi sang, bouncing her hands across the air. Taichi laughed.

"What?" asked her Digimon- a giant root with eyes and a flower for hair. Palmon.

"...nevermind," Mimi sighed.

"So, what happened to you?" Sora asked.

"We evolved," Agumon explained. All the Digimon gave us a quick run through, although it didn't help us understand much. "Thanks to you all, we were able to evolve, which is a difficult process. Most Digimon can't evolve on their own without decades of struggle."

"Dang," Takeru said, "So, I helped you change. That's cool."

Gabumon was sniffing at the air. "So, what are we going to do? We can't just stand around and wait for something to come kill us, like bug-brain."

"Yeah..." Taichi wondered.

"If only we could find other humans," Jyou noted. "O-Or a phone. We could call for help. I'm sure we're just off the trail."

"We're in another world, Jyou," I pressed. He seemed surprised at me. I guess I didn't address him properly, but I wasn't going to be bothered. I sure as Hell didn't bother under normal circumstances, either.

"We could try to go back where we were," Taichi suggested.

"All the way up that mountain? What's the point when we know nothing's there? Let's explore around here," I argued.

"No, we should wait for someone to come rescue us," Jyou chimed in.

"No one's coming for us," I hissed.

"We don't know that for sure," Sora said, stepping closer to us. "Besides, haven't you all been wondering why we're here?"

"Actually, yeah," I replied. _Why were we here? Why hasn't anyone heard of Digimon before now? _I thought about it. Digital Monster. Did that mean we were in some kind of computer? Maybe we died and our spirits were trapped as some kind of electrical energy. This is all some really fucked up version of Heaven.

"There's never been anyone like you guys before," Agumon pointed out.

_Then, how do you even know what we are?_ I wondered. I didn't have time to contemplate further as the yellow dinosaur continued explaining: "Only Digimon exist here."

"Even that bug?" Taichi asked.

"He's a bad Digimon, but there are good ones, like us, too. Although, Kuwagamon doesn't usually act that way. It's as if something strange happened to him..."

"...what are we going to do if it gets dark?" Koushiro wondered.

"Who says it does?" I remarked. I didn't even want to think about having to sleep in this insane place, much less traverse it. Still, I didn't want to go back, either. I watched as Takeru occupied himself by asking Tokomon a slur of questions. I couldn't take him back. Not now. This was my chance to protect both of us. This was our own Neverland and we would never have to go back. I didn't care how dangerous it was.

"I saw the ocean when I was falling," Taichi announced. He began to walk away, and for one reason or another, we all decided to follow him. As we walked along the river bank, we discussed various things, but we didn't really learn anymore about the Digimon or this Digital World.

"Look at the pretty trees," Sora swooned.

"I don't recognize the species'," Koushiro said.

"Whatever it is, I can't breathe so well," Jyou said somewhere behind me. His breathing had changed a bit. A little more shallow. "This entire place gets on my nerves."

"Your complaining is getting old," I told him, despite wondering if he was okay or not. I watched him for the next few minutes as he slowly dragged behind the rest of us. He discreetly took an inhaler from the bag and caught his bearings before keeping up the end of the line. "Why are you way back here, anyway?" I wondered, casually.

"...well, I'm the oldest here, so I should make sure I can keep everyone in my sight."

"What does that have to do with anything?" I laughed, "Everyone can fend for themselves."

"Everyone or _you_?" he remarked.

I blew him off and caught up to Takeru. "So, what do you think about all this?"

"...I dunno. I kinda miss Mom."

I sighed, "Aren't you glad you don't have to be around her?"

"Just because you hate her doesn't mean I do..." Takeru mumbled.

"I hope she dies," I breathed, shoving my hands in my pockets. "Come on, Takeru, don't you wanna stay here forever?"

"The Digital World is fun!" Patamon agreed.

"See, he thinks so," I said smugly.

"Well, it can be fun, but it's dangerous, too," Gabumon warned. He had been so quiet, I had almost forgotten he was there. "Oh, hey," he started, sniffing the air, "I smell salt water."

"The ocean!" Taichi cried somewhere ahead of me.

Then, a ringing. A _phone_ ringing. "A telephone?" I wondered.

"Told you that was all we needed!" Jyou said, shooting me a look. I could tell he wasn't going to be one to get along with. He was more annoying than Takeru.

We all huddled onto the shore at the mouth of the river. Sure enough, there was an array of phone booths. Everyone rushed to try them, not wondering of their origin or reason, including Takeru, "I'm going to call Mom!"

"Yeah, maybe I can reach my parents," Taichi said, taking the first booth.

"Parents?" Gomamon questioned, flopping after Jyou. "Hey, what's a parents?"

"Takeru-" I barked, but still the squirt wasn't listening to me. "Not if I call Dad first."

I pulled an old Square phone card from my pocket and tried Dad's work number at the TV Station. An operator answered, which was really strange. Even more strange was what she said, however, "The number you dialed only exists in your imagination."

"Jeez, did I hit the wrong key or something?" I wondered.

"They're all like that," Takeru sighed. I worried, hanging up the receiver. He was getting homesick, which meant he was going to be bawling any minute and I wasn't going to deal with that. One time Takeru had to stay with us for almost a week and by the end of it, he was crying himself to sleep because he missed home. Or Mom, although I couldn't imagine why.

As I headed out of the booth, I noticed Jyou at the end, dialing one string after another. Takeru flopped down into the sand near the dunes and closed his eyes. Soon, all of us except Jyou had given up. "What an idiot," I stated, "No matter the number, you could dial 911 and we would only reach Mars."

"What's Mars?" Biyomon questioned.

"A place you go to escape everyone you hate," I remarked.

"It's a planet," Sora chuckled. "You know, outer space?"

Biyomon looked on eagerly, hoping Sora would explain further.

I contemplated sitting alongside my brother, but I didn't feel like getting my clothes covered in sand. Who knew when we would actually be able to do laundry, of all things. At least I was used to wearing my clothes all day long.

Mimi, on the other hand, "I really need a good pair of sandals. These boots do nothing for me against the white of this beach."

I wondered if she was all whine and fashion. But then, she surprised me, "I could be a wonderful mermaid, like the movies, _not_ the book."

"You read, Mimi?"

"Mermaids don't read," she said. I think she had meant it more as a statement regarding mermaids rather than herself and I watched as her lips moved as she thought. Then, she seemed to catch up to what I had really asked, "Unlike me, of course. I have my own personal library at home."

Takeru began to lean towards Mimi as tiredness overtook him and she didn't look too chipper either. My feet were starting to hurt, but damn, I didn't want to sit down in all that grain.

"I'm going to look for a boat," Taichi announced.

"...and?" I asked him.

"Well, we shouldn't just stand around here," he said, crossing his arms.

"Look, everyone's tired. If you want to go boat hunting, go ahead, but I'd rather wait here in case someone calls," I told him.

"Do you really have to pick fights with me about everything?" Taichi mumbled as he wandered over to the shore.

"Am I really that complicated?" I asked Gabumon. "I was just thinking of everyone else."

"Taichi seems to be intent on finding help as a priority," Koushiro answered. "There's nothing wrong with having some of us here and a few of us keeping an eye out for help at the moment. I'll go join him-"

However, Taichi was already returning, "I just realized something..." he blushed, his stomach growling. "I'm starved. Anyone got any food?"

"All I have," Sora started, but I watched as she stopped, holding the strange device in her hands a moment. The one from the campsite. "What in the world is this thing, anyway?"

"They must be important," I said.

"I'm hungry, too," Koushiro said.

"I don't have anything," Sora sighed, burying her chin in the palms of her hands.

"I have food!" Takeru cried.

"Oh, would you share with me?" Mimi said, smiling at Takeru. I shifted my weight in the sand.

"Sure!" Takeru replied, "Hey, big brother, isn't she cute?"

I blushed deeply, "Uh, no."

Everyone else had things like medicine, a scope, a compass, but nothing edible. I had some pocket lint, but I hadn't done something that stupid since I was two.

"Hey, look, Jyou has the emergency bag!" Taichi remarked. "Jyou, you jerk! Bring that bag over here."

Jyou finally looked up from the phone. He stormed over to us, much like he had originally stormed over to Mimi and her friends at camp that morning. "Well, Mimi was supposed to be carrying it!" he remarked, obviously frustrated from not being able to call home. Even I was upset I couldn't call my Dad, but Jyou seemed genuinely strained. As uptight as he was, I could only imagine what his parents were like. Probably two, rich, refined people who always told Jyou to look both ways crossing the street or something.

"It's too heavy for a girl like me. You're a man, you carry it," Mimi said, stretching her legs.

Jyou sighed and began to empty the bag, calculating the rations. I hadn't realized how desperate this entire mess could get. We could run out of food, water. We could get attacked any second. How was I going to keep my brother safe here? Maybe I was kidding myself with the entire running away from home thing.

Taichi and Agumon had already started scarfing their portion when Gomamon yelped from way out in the water. Jyou immediately looked out and I suddenly felt Gabumon's body near mine. "Something's wrong," the Digimon replied. "Something's coming."

That was when a huge explosion erupted under the phone booths, shattering any chance we had at someone possibly calling in. A large shell stood in their place, with a pink, wrinkly, beast escaping through the front. A Digimon. Shellmon, someone noted.

"We can't get a break," I growled, making sure Takeru was close. He hid behind me as the large Digimon- because, damn, they couldn't be tiny and evil for a change, could they? -headed our direction.

Jyou scurried past me, "We'll be safe on higher ground!" I turned as he began to crawl up the side of the dunes, then a mist showered above me. A gyser of water erupting from the Digimon began to pound the hills, including Jyou, making him lose his grip. I watched him fall, thinking, _I don't hate the guy that much. _I set Takeru aside as Sora and I both rushed to Jyou's rescue, somewhat breaking his fall. He winced as he tried to roll onto his side. I could hear Taichi ordering Agumon behind me. All the Digimon had started attacking Shellmon, but only his attacks seemed to be landing. This overgrown barnacle was smart, too. He had quickly pelted Gomamon with water, taking out anyone who could match his arena.

"Jyou, you alright?" I asked, finally helping the other sit upright against the dune.

"Yeah... thanks for helping me."

"We have to take care of one another," Sora said, smiling at me. In case she hadn't noticed, I wasn't very good at that.

"Taichi!" Koushiro called. I looked over to Shellmon, who was reaching out with those ugly green feelers he called hair. (Well, if he knew what hair was, I'm sure he would call it that.) "Taichi, evade!" the boy called, but not soon enough as Taichi was swept into the Digimon's tendrils and being squeezed tightly.

"What do we do?" Takeru asked me.

"We can't do anything," I reminded him, "Our Digimon are too weak."

"Only Agumon can help him," Sora said.

And help Agumon did. Like before on the cliff, the device at Taichi's side began to glow. Unlike before, though, only Taichi's seemed to activate. A similar glow, like the hand of God, reached down to Agumon and his form began to change. He was bigger and had a brown helm covering his face. He had horns, now, too. He growled like those T-Rexes in the movies. You think it would sound different, being real and all, but it was just like that.

"Woah," Jyou breathed.

"Astounding," Koushiro whispered.

"Greymon!" the T-Rex Digimon announced. This entire display must have startled the Shellmon, because he tossed Taichi into the air where he landed not far off, safely, in the sand. Greymon shot a huge fireball at the Shellmon, sending the bad Digimon sailing.

Everyone cheered around me for Taichi. I gave him a smile and he nodded at me as if saying, "No problem." _Bucket head. You almost got yourself killed. Real smart._

Greymon went back to Agumon this time, instead of staying his form. We learned that he had taken a stronger persona as Greymon, but couldn't maintain the energy. I wondered if that was something we could gain over time.

"Yamato," Takeru said, "I'm sleepy."

"Well, we can't stay here and wait for Big Ugly to come back," I remarked. I glanced over to Jyou. He was _still_ trying the phone. _What in the world could be that damn important?_ "So, who wants to break the news to him?" I chuckled, trying to ignore all the thoughts of what Jyou's plight was from my mind.

After some consideration and feeding the Digimon above ourselves, we decided that just moving forward was the best thing. I watched as Jyou gave one last glance to the phone before bringing up the rear once again. I picked up Takeru and set him on my shoulders. He was too tired to walk now. We set out across the beach, hopefully finding someone, anyone who could help us, or at least some kind of shelter from this onslaught of monsters.


End file.
